Kathy Krumrei Nominated by: Mary Beth Keuter
1. Describe how your nominee has shown concern for humanity.
Kathy is a very dedicated and compassionate nurse. She started on our Surgical Telemetry unit in 1979, and has been the Care Coordinator for our unit for the past ten years. Kathy is very compassionate to her patients and is holistic in planning their stay and discharge. She is always able to quickly identify what is needed by the patient and what is important to them as an individual. This understanding and collaboration with the patient allows for better healing and the best decisions for discharge. She has touched many lives and improved outcomes, which is very evident when patients and families return to the unit for a visit, as they always look for Kathy.
2. What do you consider your nominee’s most significant contribution to the nursing profession:
Kathy is a mentor of all nursing staff, whether they are novice or experienced. She coaches them with critical thinking in order to evaluate options for patient care. Kathy is always quick to compliment a nurse for identifying special patient needs, performing education or completing complicated cares. She builds nurse's self esteem and pride in our profession by her coaching and feedback. She is also able to debrief staff and help them to work through difficult events. Recently, a staff nurse that transferred to the Operating Room a year ago, stopped to talk to Kathy. She stated that she really enjoyed the Operating Room but that there was no "Kathy" there. Kathy's legacy is that she has been a respected and sought out mentor and example to others.
3. Give an example of how your nominee has shown leadership through mentoring, or served as a role model for others.
Kathy has mentored others in the Care Coordinator Role. She is sought out as a preceptor for this role due to her excellence and tenure of experience. She is a strong resource to other units for surgical expertise. Kathy is very active in her department in promoting physician documentation, case mix index and patient education of medicare rights. Kathy also is a member of our hospital's "Professional Development Council", which has developed the Career Achievement Program. This program has just begun in 2008, and is a recognition and incentive program for direct patient caregiver Registered Nurses, who seek a higher level of professional and personal development in his or her position.
4. Was there a specific event that prompted you to nominate this outstanding nurse? If so, please tell your story.
In the first part of 2007, our unit had a very critical surgical patient with a gastric resection and tracheostomy. This gentleman had many complications and failure to progess at times, yet was able to be discharged from our hospital in May. I think of Kathy when I think about this very special patient and his stay, because Kathy constantly kept re-evaluating his care and therapies and worked closely with the staff to help move this patient slowly to recovery. The patient had anxiety and depression due to a poor prognosis. I truly feel that this gentleman is here today due to Kathy's continued vigilence in re-evaluating and implementing new cares and tactics to move this patient toward recovery and return to his home. Kathleen Krumrei Nominated by: Lori Townsend
1. Describe how your nominee has shown concern for humanity.
Kathy shows a great concern for humanity through her everyday actions. She puts her patients first and is continually stiving to make their stay the best experience it can be. She arranges for massages and anything else special that the patient may need to pick up their spirits.
2. What do you consider your nominee’s most significant contribution to the nursing profession:
Kathy has many contributions to the profession but I would have to pick her ability to constantly be the patient's advocate. She is always their to help the patients and families with any questions they may have about their condition and if they are not getting the answers they needs she makes sure they do. If Kathy sees that something is not being done in the best interest of the patient she makes sure it does. She is constantly looking out for her patients best interest.
3. Give an example of how your nominee has shown leadership through mentoring, or served as a role model for others.
Kathy is a great clinician. She shares her knowledge with the staff. The staff look to her as a mentor. She takes every opportunity to mentor the newer staff and explains the patho physiology to them to make sure they understand the connection whether it is for a med or a procedure. She is truly a role model for others.
4. Was there a specific event that prompted you to nominate this outstanding nurse? If so, please tell your story.
There isn't a specific event it is just her everyday actions that make her a candidate worthy of nomination Kathleen (Kathy) Krumrei Nominated by: Brenda Oehler
1. Describe how your nominee has shown concern for humanity.
Kathy does a great job of getting to know the patient. She has a "special heart" for the patients that have been hospitalized for very long periods of times. I can recall a recent long-term patient that she went out and bought him Halloween socks and decorations for his room and another young women that she gathered a bunch of nice lotions, nail polish, brush to help her feel better. She goes that extra mile for those patients that are frustrated and depressed about their lengthy stay.
2. What do you consider your nominee’s most significant contribution to the nursing profession:
Kathy has a special interest in nutrition (tubefeedings, etc) and pain control. She has brought lots of information back to the unit from several different conferences that she has attended. The last 1 1/2 she has done a lot of educating staff and physicians with the use of massage therapy to assist with pain control in the surgical population. We now have standing orders from all of our surgeons for massage therapy if we have patients that will benefit from it. This has improved our pain scores and patient satisfaction.
3. Give an example of how your nominee has shown leadership through mentoring, or served as a role model for others.
Kathy has served in several different roles since 1979 on the same surgical/telemetry unit. She is very open and easy to approach with questions or situations that the less tenured staff members are struggling with. Kathy does a great job of walking staff members through situations and coaching them to work independently. During very acute patient episodes she does a nice job of reviewing the situation with the staff nurse and explains how and what happened to assist the newer staff member in learning.
4. Was there a specific event that prompted you to nominate this outstanding nurse? If so, please tell your story.
Kathy has the experience, compassion and mentoring skills that make her a Top 100 nurse and she is very worthy of this honor.